This proposal requests partial funding for Arthritis Research Conference, 2007, our sixth biennial conference, which will be held under the joint sponsorship of the Arthritis Foundation, the American College of Rheumatology, and the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The meeting will be held on April 20-22, 2007 at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Center, Atlanta GA. The primary aim is to enhance the educational and network opportunities of young investigators, through a multi-disciplinary conference environment that is conducive to discussions of new technical approaches and the initiation of novel scientific collaborations. All arthritis research trainees in North America will be invited to attend. We will also invite selected senior researchers, identified based on their expertise and interests, who will most likely contribute to, and benefit from the stimulating and productive environment of the Conference. Participation will be limited to 400 attendees. Plenary lectures will be provided by accomplished distinguished investigators, who will also chair sessions and workshops, and interact with trainees during the Conference. The plenary session, entitled .Translation in Arthritis Medicine: Bench to the Bedside., will be devoted to providing an overview of NIH plans for extending translational efforts, and talks on several examples in which basic molecular and cellular observations have been successfully developed into novel and safe and effective therapies in the rheumatic diseases. The Basic Science Symposium will be devoted to the topic of .Signaling and regulation in the Joint, and how intracellular pathways contribute to joint development, and in other settings disease-associated destruction of these tissues. The Clinical Sciences Symposium will focus on the topic .New Perspectives on Inflammatory Disease. There will be a special .Clinical Outcomes Research Symposium., as well as eight workshops will be held for selected trainees to present their research, which will include: Pathogenesis of RA and related murine models; Clinical measures and pathogenesis of Lupus; Biology of articular cartilage and tissue engineering repair strategies; Clinical outcomes and epidemiology of rheumatic diseases; Tissue engineering and gene therapy; Emerging technologies for the study of rheumatic diseases; Regulation of extracellular matrix and Inflammation; and SLE and pathogenesis of autoimmunity. In addition, there will be three poster sessions, at which all remaining trainees will have an opportunity to present their work. Overall, the central goal of the conference is to provide an interactive meeting in an informal atmosphere that facilitates comprehensive discussion of the scientific basis of arthritis pathogenesis and related musculoskeletal diseases. The Conference will strive to promote meaningful interactions between trainees and senior scientists from very diverse backgrounds to discuss current work, as well as stimulate new initiatives and collaborative interactions. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]